Official Luthiers Forum!

I would really like to add a pickup to my classical guitar, however I'm concerned it might affect the sound negatively when not plugged in. What pickup would you recommend for a classical (cost is not an issue with this decision) to minimize negative affects when not plugged in, but still have a great sound when it is plugged in? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

JohnJohn Elshaw38828.6364699074

Hi John,
check out the K&K pickups, very cool stuff.
Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com

There was a recent discussion here about pickups for classicals. I have installed both the Schatten and K&K passive pickups. They do not affect the unamplified sound in any way I've been able to tell. I also have a classical that I installed a replacement saddle transducer style pickup in -- I think it's an LR Baggs, been a few years now. First thing I noticed about that one was that the guitar had lost a little volume. So, I guess I'd be more inclined to recommend either the K&K or the Schatten.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

John,

The other thing about K and K products that I like, others may not though, is that the pre-amp is outside the guitar. Virtually no extra weight is added. We spend a lot of time shaving off every gram we can so it just doesn't make sence to me to add all that circutry and a battery to the guitar. Anyway, if you want to try K and K I can get something for you and so can a few others here, including Evan I think.

Good Luck with it!

Shane

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Canada

I really like the K&K Pure Western Minis, and I recently had an eye/ear opening experience with them...I have a Goodall crossover that came (used) with an Baggs Ibeam in it, which I didn't care for one bit (tons of hiss) so I put the K&K in it. Of course, now it sends out a perfectly clear signal through the pickup that is wonderfully acoustic in nature, but here's the part that surprised me. The guitar's acoustic tone brightened up considerably and it's volume and projection are dramatically improved, in a whole other ballpark. Now I'm always rolling my eyes at claims like how someone's FWI saddle or some other little thing made a huge difference, I think it's usually a lot of hot air, but this showed me that in some particular circumstances a small thing can make a big difference. I suspect that it would be a mistake to generalize from my specific experience, but it was undeniable, very welcome, and still has me scratching my head.Matt Mustapick38829.7962384259

Thanks fellas, it sounds like a lot of you really like the K & K pickups. Do any of you know where I could get some sound clips of a k&k on a classical guitar? There seems to be about 3 options for K&K on a classical, and I'm not sure what the difference is between the three and how they affect the sound.

Thanks!

John